Acoustical treatment



2 Sheets-Sheet l R. L. SIERING ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT INVENToR @aff/f BW- f Q 'ATTORNEY Filed Dec. 23. 1949 March 29, 1955 March 29, 1955 R. L. slERlNG 2,704,865

ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT Filed Dec. 23, 1 949 2 Sheets-Shee 2 Tlqb. Tlql Z4 44| f 243246 44M l 2. wat

ATTORNEY United States Patent O ACOUSTICAL TREATMENT Robert L. Siering, New York, N. Y., assignor to Johns- Manville Corporation, New York, N. Y., a `corporation of New York Application December 23, 1949, Serial No. 134,783

8 Claims. (Cl. 20-4) The instant invention relates to treatments for walls such as ceilings and more particularly to sound-absorbing treatments of the type adapted for oices, stores, restaurants, auditoriums and the like. Conventionally such treatments consist of sound-absorbing units or panels laid horizontally to cover all, or the greater portion of the ceiling of the room. One construction of this type which has achieved wide usage employs fiberboard panels having sound-entry openings in the faces exposed to the sound to be absorbed. The panels are secured either directly to the ceiling slab, or to furring strips, or the like, suspended from the ceiling.

The instant invention has for its principal object the provision of an acoustical treatment employing such fiberboard or similar panel units but in a novel manner whereby the effective absorbing area of the ceiling is substantially increased and an attractive checkerboard or eggcrate appearance is achieved. The instant invention has the further advantage of exposing the greater portion of the area of the ceiling to the interior of the room whereby the same may be employed as a radiant heating surface or for other purposes.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such treatment involving the use of sound-absorbing units suspended in edgewise projection from the wall or ceiling to define spaced partitions extending inwardly for a suitable distance from the wall, and transverse units spanning the spaces between the partitions. The invention also provides for support of additional units between the transverse units, whereby many different attractive ceiling effects may be obtained.

A further object of the invention is the provision of suspension means which permit the units to be easily installed and removed.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of suspension means comprising sheet metal members folded from blank form and adapted for easy attachment to the panels and to a supporting rail supported from the wall.

My invention will be more fully understood and further objects and advantages thereof will become apparent when reference is made to the more detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is to follow and to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a room interior illustrating the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view of a fragment of the ceiling treatment of Fig. l in partially assembled condition;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a supporting rail;

Fig. 6 is a'sectional view, on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional View on a further enlarged qcale6 of the supporting construction employed in Fig. 8 is a perspective view of an absorbing unit as employed in the instant invention;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a blank employed in the fabrication of a panel hanger;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of a hanger fabricated from a blank of Fig. 9;

p lCC Fig. 11 is a plan view of a blank employed in the fabrication of another type of panel hanger; and,

Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the hanger fabricated from the blank of Fig. l0.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a treatment for a wall, particularly the ceiling of a room, the system comprising spaced longitudinal partitions 10 extending in parallel relationship and made up of individual units 11. The partitions are suspended from the ceiling structure in a manner later explained. The spaces between partitions 10 are spanned at intervals by transverse units 12 and, as illustrated in Fig. 2, additional panel units 14 may be inserted where desired between transverse units 12.

In the preferred embodiment, all of the units 11, 12 and 14 are sound-absorbing, and are constructed from iiberboard material. The latter, as is conventional in the art, is prepared by sheeting a suitable woodpulp or other fiberboard furnish on apparatus, such as an Oliver filter, to form a felted fibrous layer of suitable thickness and then drying the layer or sheet. For acoustical purposes panels are cut from such sheets and, in order to improve the perviousness of the panel faces to sound, sound-entry openings 18 are drilled, punched or otherwise formed in the faces of the panels to be exposed to airborne sound. For the purpose of the instant invention the units are made of suitable dimensions, say of 6 width and 24" length, and each unit is assembled from two layers or panels 20 of fberboard material, say 1/z in thickness. One face of each of the panels is perforated and the panels are secured back to back so that the perforated faces are exposed on both sides of the units. ln assembling the units, a suitable adhesive 23 is employed over the entire contacting surfaces, except adjacent the upper corners of the panels, the areas where the adhesive or glue is omitted providing slots 22. The units may also be made of a single relatively heavy thickness of the fiberboard material with the sound-entry openings extending inwardly from both faces. In this case slots 22 may be formed by kerng or slitting the corners of the units.

Referring now particularly t0 Figs. 3-12 inclusive, the suspension system for the partitions and the transverse units will be described. Rails 24 (see particularly Fig. 5) are secured to the ceiling by suitable means such as the nails, screws or toggles 26, at intervals equal to the desired spacing between the partitions. A rail 24 consists of a base 28 and downwardly and inwardly directed flanges 30 defining spaced, longitudinally extending pockets 32.

It will be recognized that instead of securing rails 24 directly to the base ceiling, they may be suspended below the ceiling and the intervals between them spanned by a false ceiling structure of any suitable type, for example, as shown in my copending application, S. N. 127,963 filed November 17, 1949. As explained in said co-pending application, the false ceiling may be made of translucent panels and lighting means placed above them whereby a diffused lighting effect is obtained. On the other hand, clear glass or panels of decorative materials may be used.

Both the partition units and certain of the transverse units are detachably secured to the rails by hangers 34. Each of the hangers 34 (see Fig. l0) consists of two pairs of oppositely directed wings 36, 40 and 38, 42, and an integral head 44 connected to wings 38 and 42 by a short neck 46. The marginal edges of head 44 are adapted to be received within the pockets 32 of the rail. Hanger 34 is constructed from a single blank of relatively light gauge sheet material, such as black or galvanized iron of 24 to 21 gauge, the blank being of the form shown in Fig. 9. In the blank the wings 38 and 40 are defined in part by fold lines 46 and 48 and cut 50. Wings 36 and 42 are defined in part by fold lines 52 and 54 and cut 56. Head 44 is defined in part by fold lines 58. In forming the device of Fig. l0 from the blank of Fig. 9, wings 36 and 40 are folded at right angles to wings 42 and 38 on fold lines 52 and 46, respectively. Wings 40 and 42 are then bent upwardly on fold lines 48 and 54, respectively, until they are at right angles to the head defining portion of the blank. The latter is then folded downwardly and inwardly on fold lines 58 until the corners formed by fold lines 48 and 52 are in contiguous relationship. Each of the wings has fastener receiving apertures 60 positioned to lie opposite sound-entry openings in the panel units, as will be later more fully explained. The apertures preferably are horizontally elongated to permit minor adjustment in the positioning of the fasteners which penetrate the openings.

In the erection of a partition employing the units of the form shown in Fig. 8 and hangers of the form shown in Fig. 10, a short length of the rail 24 is first fastened in the desired position to the ceiling. Hangers 34 are then mounted on the rail by inserting the marginal portions of the head 44 in the rail pockets 32. When at least two of the hangers have been positioned in this manner and properly spaced, dependent upon the length of the units to be employed, a unit is mounted on the hangers by inserting the longitudinally extending wings 38 and 42 of the hangers between the panel elements making up the unit in the slots 22. Headed fasteners 61 of any suitable type, such as short nails, are then inserted through the sound-entry openings 18, each fastener extending through the remaining area of the panel element beneath the sound-entry opening through a perforation 60 and into the panel element on the opposite side of the hanger wing. As previously mentioned, the perforations are spaced and positioned to underlie soundentry openings of the units, the elongated shape of perforations 60 permitting such slight adjustment as may be necessary to insure that the fastener will penetrate the wing, irrespective of minor differences in the dimensions of the panels, or of the placing of the sound-entry openings. Additional units making up the partition are similarly mounted and also the other partitions are assembled in the same way. Alternatively to the erection method described above, a hanger may be preassembled with a unit and then mounted on the supporting rail, the other end of the panel then being secured to a previously mounted hanger.

Transverse units 12, when located at the junctures between the partition units, are mounted in a similar manner, lateral wings 36 and 40 of the hangers being inserted into slots 22 of the transverse units and the units being connected to them by fasteners 18.

As illustrated in Figs. l and 2, additional transverse units 12 are preferably employed, such units extending between the partitions at suitable points, say midway of the ends of the partition units. Also, additional units 14, similar in all respects to the other units but of shorter length, may be mounted between the transverse units to provide the eggcrate effect of Fig. 1. For these purposes hangers 62, as illustrated in Fig. 12, are employed. Hangers 62 consist of a head 64 connected by flanges 66 and 68 to oppositely directed wings 70 and 72, respectively. The hangers are formed from a single blank of sheet material (see Fig. ll) of the same type employed for hangers 34. In the blank, wing 70 is separated from a flange 66 by a fold line 74, the latter being separated from head 64 by a fold line 76. Wing 72 is separated from a flange 68 by a fold line 78 and the latter is separated fromthe head 64 by fold line 80. In forming the hanger from the blank, wing 72 is bent downwardly on fold line 78 until it lies at right angles to flange 68, and wing 70 is bent upwardly on fold line 74 until it lies at right angles to flange 66. Flanges 68 and 66 are then bent downwardly on fold lines 80 and 76, respectively, until they lie in parallelism and at right angles to head 64.

To install transverse units by the hangers of Fig. l2, the hangers are first mounted on the partition units before the latter are installed with the head 64 resting upon the upper edge, and flanges 66 and 68 embracing the opposite sides of the partition units. After the installation of the partition units the transverse units 12 are then mounted by inserting wings 70 or 72 in the slots 22 of the transverse units and securing the units to the wings by means of the fasteners 61. Where additional units 14 are required between the transverse units, hangers 62 are mounted on the upper edges of the transverse units at the desired locations and units 14 secured thereto as before.

It will be appreciated that one or more ofthe wings vof the hangers 34 and one of the wings of hangers 62 may be removed when the partition is to be discontinued or when a transverse unit is not desired. Due to the light gauge metal used, the wings may be simply cut off with a pair of tinsnips.

The system described above provides a ceiling of high sound-absorbing efficiency due to the large area of the acoustical material which is exposed to the sound to be absorbed. At the same time a very attractive ceiling appearance is achieved. The exposure of the base ceiling between the units permits it to be employed as a radiant heating surface where desired. The system is extremely flexible as the transverse panels may be ernployed at any suitable intervals and additional panels may be mounted between transverse units wherever desired to provide any special effect.

Although the above described embodiment of the invention employs fiberboard panels for the units, the invention is not to be limited thereto as other types of panels may be similarly employed. Also, it will be appreciated that, although the invention has been described in complete detail, these details need not be strictly adhered to but that various changes and modifications may suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, all falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the subjoined claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, soundabsorbing panel units having sound-entry openings, said units being in edgewise projection from the ceiling and defining spaced partitions, hangers including flanges embedded in said units, fasteners in certain of said soundentry openings and penetrating said hangers, and means supporting said hangers from the wall.

2. In a treatment for a Wall such as a ceiling, soundabsorbing panel units having sound-entry openings, said units being in edgewise projection from the wall and defining spaced partitions, hangers including flanges embedded in said units, fasteners in certain of said sound-absorbing openings and penetrating said flanges, and transverse panel units between said partitions and supported by said hangers.

3. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, panel units in edgewise projection from the wall and defining spaced partitions, a hanger having flanges embedded within the units, fasteners in said units and penetrating said flanges, a suspension member, and an element on said hanger detachably connected` to said suspension member.

4. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, panel units in edgewise projection from the wall and defining spaced partitions, hangers having flanges embedded within said units and having other flanges extending at substantially right angles thereto, fasteners within said units and penetrating said embedded flanges, a transverse unit extending between said partitions with said other flanges embedded in the transverse unit, fasteners in said transverse unit penetrating said other flanges, suspension members, and elements on said hangers detachably connecting the hangers to said suspension members.

5. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, fiberboard panel units in edgewise projection from the wall and defining spaced partitions, hangers having flanges embedded within the units, fasteners within the units and penetrating said flanges, transverse units between said partitions, and means carried by said partitions for supporting said transverse units.

6. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, panel units in edgewise projection from the wall and defining spaced partitions, hangers having flanges embedded within the units and having other flanges at substantially right angles thereto, fasteners within said units and penetrating the embedded flanges, a first set of transverse units between said partitions, with said other flanges embedded therein, and a second set of transverse units between said partitions and supported therefrom.

7. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, panel units in edgewise projection from the wall and defining a partition, hangers having flanges extending longitudinally of the units and embedded therein, means for supporting said hangers from the wall, and means detachably connecting said units to said flanges.

8. In a treatment for a wall such as a ceiling, panel units in edgewise projection from the wall defining spaced partitions, transverse units between said partitions, hangers having flanges extending longitudinally of said partition units and said transverse units and embedded therein,

5 6 means for supporting said hangers from the wall, and 2,103,168 Myers etal. Dec. 21, 1937 means for detachably connecting said units to said flanges. 2,242,834 Price May 20, 1941 2,527,031 Rambusch Oct. 24, 1950 References Cited in the file of this patent OTHER REFERENCES 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS American Builder, June 1948, pages 22, 23. 1,677,140 Ketterman July 17, 1928 Architectural Record, October 1948, page 175. 

